
What the Light Touches
A Novel
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Narrated by:
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Caroline Hewitt
About this listen
Acclaimed author Xavier Bosch weaves an emotional tale of love and intrigue in this novel about a woman on the cusp of middle age, her beloved grandma, and a strange houseguest who changes everything.
Seventeen-year-old Margaux doesn’t realize one photo could change the course of her life. But in German-occupied Paris, nothing makes sense anymore. Margaux fears the worst when her lover is arrested. And when her photo appears in Nazi propaganda, her family’s reputation and prospects suffer the consequences.
In 2008, Margaux has moved into a retirement home, and her granddaughter Barbara continues to live in the Paris apartment they used to share. Eager to escape unhappy circumstances, Barbara works remotely for a publishing company and rents out a room in “Mamie” Margaux’s apartment to help pay the bills.
One day, Barbara finds a stranger on her couch. Roger, who’s a curious photographer, uncovers shocking secrets about Barbara’s family. And when a snowstorm triggers a lockdown, he opens the door to tempting new possibilities.
A bestseller in its original Catalan at the 2023 Sant Jordi Book Fair, Bosch’s sweeping novel alternates between the two timelines, offering sustenance for historical fiction readers, WWII enthusiasts, and romantics alike.
©2023, 2025 by Xavier Bosch. (P)2024 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved. Translation © 2025 by Samantha Mateo.Listeners also enjoyed...
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Critic reviews
“This is a prizewinning novel, translated from Catalan, that offers a poignant story of love and war, history, family, and consequences.”—Booklist
“A portrait of resilience and the power of love…”—Historical Novels Review
“A unique, skillfully crafted, and interesting read from start to finish.”—Midwest Book Review
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An Excellent Thriller!!
- By BookDragonGirl on 02-08-25
By: Tamara L. Miller
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The House of Lost Secrets
- By: Anstey Harris
- Narrated by: Annabelle Dowler, Elle Newlands
- Length: 9 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
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The weatherworn cottage Clachan has always been Jo Wilding’s sanctuary, a blissful escape from her tumultuous home life. From the first summer Rachel invited her to join the Willoughby family in the wilds of Scotland, she fell in love with the sea air, sandy beach and Tristan, Rachel’s older brother… All these years later, Clachan is where their most important occasions and conversations take place, so when Rachel organises a weekend there, Jo never suspects that this weekend will change everything.
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The House Lost Secrets
- By Sharon Lewis on 10-08-24
By: Anstey Harris
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Not What She Seems
- A Novel
- By: Yasmin Angoe
- Narrated by: Jordan Cobb
- Length: 15 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
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After years of self-exile, Jacinda “Jac” Brodie is back in Brook Haven, South Carolina. But the small cliffside town no longer feels like home. Jac hasn’t been there since the beloved chief of police fell to his death—and all the whispers said she was to blame. That chief was Jac’s father. Racked with guilt, Jac left town with no plans to return. But when her granddad lands in the hospital, she rushes back to her family, bracing herself to confront the past.
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On Edge
- By stressfreet on 06-07-25
By: Yasmin Angoe
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White Mulberry
- A Novel
- By: Rosa Kwon Easton
- Narrated by: Michelle H. Lee
- Length: 8 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
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Inspired by the life of Easton’s grandmother, White Mulberry is a rich, deeply moving portrait of a young Korean woman in 1930s Japan who is torn between two worlds and must reclaim her true identity to provide a future for her family.
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The setting- a Korean during the occupation by Japan, following her footsteps from Korea to Japan and back
- By Poppy Ann Purcell on 06-25-25
By: Rosa Kwon Easton
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Hill of Secrets
- A Novel
- By: Galina Vromen
- Narrated by: Lisa Flanagan
- Length: 10 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
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Los Alamos, 1943. The US Army has gathered scientists to create the world’s first nuclear weapon. Their families, abruptly moved to the secret desert base with no explanation, have simple orders: Stand by. Make do. Above all, don’t ask questions. Christine, forced to abandon her art restoration business in New York for her husband’s career, struggles to reinvent herself and cope with his increasing aloofness. Gertie, the inquisitive teenage daughter of a German Jewish refugee physicist enlists Christine to help her unravel hidden truths and deal with parents haunted by their past.
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Not historical
- By Cindi Trunk on 10-11-24
By: Galina Vromen
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American Housewife
- A Novel
- By: Anita Abriel
- Narrated by: Jennifer Jill Araya
- Length: 9 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
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New York City, 1950. Dreams come true for radio personality Maggie Lane when she gets her big break in the exciting new world of television. The Maggie Lane Baking Show is on the air. All she has to do is act like the ideal housewife, create sumptuous desserts, charm the show’s sponsors, and sign a morality clause to ensure that her girl-next-door image remains untarnished. Although newlywed Maggie has never baked so much as a cookie, and knows even less about maintaining a home, keeping up appearances is a necessary ingredient for success. Easy.
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Great story! Tied up in a nice little bow.
- By Julie Corbin on 06-27-25
By: Anita Abriel
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The Moonflowers
- A Novel
- By: Abigail Rose-Marie
- Narrated by: Abigail Reno
- Length: 12 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
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Tig Costello has arrived in Darren, Kentucky, commissioned to paint a portrait honoring her grandfather Benjamin. His contributions to the rural Appalachian town and his unimpeachable war service have made him a local hero. But to Tig, he’s a relative stranger. To find out more about him, Tig wants to talk to the person who knew her grandfather best: Eloise Price, the woman who murdered him fifty years ago.
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Excellent
- By Jen Novak on 12-28-24
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The One That Got Away
- A Short Story
- By: Mike Gayle
- Narrated by: David Ijiti
- Length: 2 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
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Reuben thought he’d spend the rest of his life with Beth, until she broke his heart six months ago. He’s not even remotely over her, so he’s devastated to hear she’s getting married—this weekend. Now he’s faced with the ultimate question: what should he do on the day of the wedding? Grieve? Disrupt the ceremony? Or do everything in his power to pretend it’s not happening? Enlisting the help of his friends, Reuben is all set to mark the occasion with distraction on a grand scale: Ferraris, champagne, and a VIP box at the races.
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ok read
- By Kindle Customer on 07-04-25
By: Mike Gayle
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Broken Bayou
- By: Jennifer Moorhead
- Narrated by: Sophie Amoss
- Length: 10 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
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Dr. Willa Watters is a prominent child psychologist at the height of her career. But when a viral video of a disastrous television interview puts her reputation on the line, Willa retreats to Broken Bayou, the town where she spent most of her childhood summers. There she visits her aunts’ old house and discovers some of her unstable mother’s belongings still languishing in the attic—dusty mementos harboring secrets of her harrowing past. Willa’s hopes for a respite are quickly crushed, not only by what she finds in that attic but also by what’s been found in the bayou.
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Thrilling Southern Mystery - perfect Summer Read!
- By Michelle on 07-10-24
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Not Quite by the Book
- A Novel
- By: Julie Hatcher
- Narrated by: Mia Hutchinson-Shaw
- Length: 11 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
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Emma Rini is in a rut so deep she could shelve books there. While her sister awaits her first baby, and her parents kick off retirement with vow renewals and travel, Emma stays put among the stacks of the family bookshop. In fact, she can’t remember the last time she took a vacation. Or had a romance that hovered above disappointing. When her parents assume she’ll take over the shop for them without a break, she realizes she needs to get away—back to the nineteenth century.
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Hard to hear
- By Rnhatter on 07-02-25
By: Julie Hatcher
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Catch You Later
- A Novel
- By: Jessica Strawser
- Narrated by: Erin Mallon
- Length: 10 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
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If Lark and Mikki didn’t have each other, they’d have nothing in this miserable town. So the best friends stick together, working night shift at the highway travel stop, going nowhere fast. Until a stranger drops in, heading for Florida, and Mikki impulsively leaves with him, never to be seen again. Eight years later, Lark is finally getting her life back together for the sake of her young daughter and Mikki’s lovably prickly grandma, who can no longer care for herself. People have almost stopped blaming Lark for Mikki’s disappearance, and she’s engaged to the nicest guy on highway patrol.
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Great book!
- By Lizzyyyy on 02-11-25
By: Jessica Strawser
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The Photographer's Secret
- By: Ellie Midwood
- Narrated by: Anne McDonagh
- Length: 7 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
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Germany, 1944: Nazi banners blowing in the wind, Maggie Sullivan takes her first steps into enemy territory. Armed only with a camera and a US press pass, Maggie never backs down from danger. But close to her heart is a secret; one that she can never share. Maggie was born in Germany. Years ago, she and her mother were forced to flee Berlin, leaving her siblings behind. The US Army are Maggie’s protectors for now, but she wakes each night in a cold sweat wondering: what will they do if they discover her past?
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The photographers secret
- By Lorena G. on 06-20-25
By: Ellie Midwood
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The Baker of Lost Memories
- A Novel
- By: Shirley Russak Wachtel
- Narrated by: Emily Lawrence
- Length: 11 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
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Growing up in 1960s Brooklyn, Lena wants to be a baker just like her mother was back in Poland prior to World War II. But questions about those days, and about a sister Lena never even knew, are ignored with solemn silence. It’s as if everything her parents left behind was a subject never to be broached. The one person in whom Lena can confide is her best friend, Pearl. When she suddenly disappears from Lena’s life, Lena forges ahead.
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Spare Yourself
- By Kmarkey on 06-20-25
Excellent
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Enter Roger, a photographer with more curiosity than social grace, who shows up uninvited on Barbara’s couch and brings a storm of questions with him. When a snowstorm locks them inside, long-buried family secrets start surfacing, forcing Barbara to reckon with the past she didn’t know she inherited. Told across two timelines, What the Light Touches explores war, memory, and the strange ways strangers sometimes bring us home.
Spillin’ the Book Tea:
Let’s just say it — the first chunk of this book was tough to get through. Barbara and Roger’s story dragged, and I started to wonder if this was going to be one of those “it gets better, I swear” books. Spoiler: it did. Once Margaux entered the picture, I was pulled in. Her voice had the weight, the intrigue, and the emotional depth that kept me listening.
This one has multiple timelines and a wide cast, so it takes a bit of mental bandwidth, but it’s worth it if you like historical fiction that leans into family connections and hidden truths. It’s also clearly a translated work, and I think some of the bumps in rhythm and tone probably come from that. It didn’t ruin the experience, but it definitely made some of the early dialogue feel stilted and a bit of a struggle to get through. Still, the grandmother-granddaughter relationship really stood out, warm, rich, and believable without being overly sentimental. Thank you to Brilliance Publishing | Brilliance Audio and NetGalley for the ALC and the opportunity to provide this candid review.
The Vibes It Brings:
📚 Dual timelines across generations
🕰️ WWII-era backdrop
👩👧 Grandmother-granddaughter connection
🌍 Cross-cultural themes
🔍 Family secrets
🇫🇷 Resistance-era Europe
🧠 Requires patience, pays off
📖 Translation quirks
🧩 Woven perspectives
Narration:
Caroline Hewitt handled the emotional layering well and made the characters feel distinct. Her delivery fit the tone of the book and added just enough gravity to make you lean in. That said, the accent situation had me scratching my head. There were moments where the American accent would slip into something else and then back again, which was distracting. It wasn’t a dealbreaker, but it did pull me out of the story a few times. Whether that was a choice or a production direction, I couldn’t say, but it could have been tighter.
TL;DR:
What the Light Touches is a thoughtful, layered novel that rewards patience. It starts slow but finds its strength in Margaux’s journey and the emotional ties between past and present. Historical fiction fans who enjoy multi-generational stories with real emotional payoff should give this one a shot. Just be prepared to push through the rocky start.
When the Light Touches
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Slow start
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Something was lost in translation
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Butchered names
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